£2 bus fare cap underway in Shetland

From today (30 January), single adult and child bus fares in Shetland are capped at £2 as part of a Scottish Government pilot.

The Regional Bus Fare Cap Pilot is a 12-month initiative to make bus travel more attractive, affordable and simple to plan.

The pilot is being introduced on a phased basis across the ZetTrans and HiTrans Regional Transport Partnership areas, starting today in Shetland and with a phased roll out across the islands and highlands area to follow.

Dates for the full roll out will be confirmed in due course.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said:

“I’m really pleased to see the bus fare cap pilot get underway in Shetland. This is a key Budget commitment, and was recommended by the Scottish Government’s Fair Fares Review as another way to make public transport more available, accessible and affordable.

“Our public transport system is a key enabler for growth and opportunity, helping people and communities to connect to jobs, education, retail, public services, leisure, social and family networks.

“This pilot can have a really positive impact for people in Shetland, and across the Highlands and Islands as it is rolled out, and I look forward to seeing how it supports sustainable travel across these regions.”

Chair of ZetTrans, Councillor Moraig Lyall said:

“It's exciting to be involved in this pilot project capping bus fares which will ensure no one pays more than £2 for a bus journey in Shetland. We've discussed for some time what difference altering the fare structure would make in the uptake of using buses in Shetland and this pilot will help answer that question.

“I would hope that more people would see the bus as an affordable alternative to their car and those without their own transport will be enabled to travel more frequently.”